Usher may be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, but sometimes he can’t even get an invite to his kids’ events.
The singer, 45, is a father of four — he shares two sons Usher “Cinco” V, 16, and Navid Ely, 15, with ex-wife Tameka Foster, as well as daughter Sovereign Bo, 3, and son Sire Castrello, 2, with his longtime girlfriend Jenn Goicoechea – but as his teenage sons grow, new challenges arise.
“My children – sometimes, they don’t want me to come. They don’t want me at their basketball game or their recital, or they want to be very, very quiet because they don’t want that energy,” he told podcast host Shannon Sharpe on Wednesday’s episode of the show Club Shay Shay.
“They don’t want, ‘Oh, dad walked into the room and took the …,'” he said, while Sharpe added, “All their focus is off me.”
Usher continued, “And it’s hard, because I try my hardest to have that empathy, but I want to be there.”
He admitted that there were “countless times” when he sat “in the back of the room, quietly” trying to “keep as small as possible and be as quiet as possible” so he could support his children without distracting from their performance.
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The “OMG” singer also opened up about how different his children’s upbringing is from his — and how that affects them.
“That approach and that reality they look at – it gives them some expectations and unfortunately they can’t take it back,” he said. “I walked so we could drive. And now that you’re riding, I want you to understand the importance of walking.”
After Sharpe questioned how his kids could be “normal” when they came home to a “six-car garage” and “a nanny, a maid and a cook,” Usher continued: “It’s a harsh reality, which is all the more reason it has to be tougher on them. But keeping in mind that their normal is different than our normal… the expectations are actually higher. That’s the only thing that makes me empathize with my kids.”
Usher Raymond (C) and his sons Usher “Cinco” Raymond V (L) and Naviyd Raymond (R) 2022 Paras Griffin/Getty Usher opens up about co-parenting while raising a child with type 1 diabetes: ‘It’s very complicated ‘ (Exclusive )
In particular, the Grammy winner said he is sensitive about his eldest son, who shares the same name.
“You know, I named my son Usher so every time he’s out there, obviously there’s that pressure,” he said.
On his overall approach to parenting, Usher said, “It’s just as important to talk to your kids. If you’re going to push them that way, you have to love them just the same.”
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Usher, Naviyd and Usher V at the Usher Walk of Fame ceremony.
David Buchan/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images
Usher previously said his kids “don’t care” about his fame.
“My boys enjoy it. I have one son, Cinco, who doesn’t like being called Usher, who tries to get away from it,” Tamron told Hall in 2020. “Then another son, Naviyd, who really likes Fun.”
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Naviyd, then 13, watched Usher’s Las Vegas residencies and offered his father some constructive feedback, he revealed.
“He’s not only watching my show, he’s criticizing me,” Usher said. “He says, ‘You missed this, you didn’t do this.’ And I say, ‘Yeah, that’s the point. It shouldn’t be the same every night.’ ”
He added that he does not mind the comments. “If it’s an inspiration for him, then great. And if it makes him feel pushed to be creative, then great.”
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Source: HIS Education